Metro Briefing | New York: Manhattan: Sentencing In 1995 Murder

A man who federal prosecutors said was part of the Tanglewood Boys, a gang that terrorized Westchester County and the Bronx through murder, robbery and extortion, has been sentenced to life in prison for a 1995 murder. The conviction of the man, John Petrucelli, was ''absolutely justified,'' Judge Thomas P. Griesa said on Friday as he imposed the sentence in United States District Court. The evidence showed that Mr. Petrucelli killed Paul Cicero to enhance his position in the gang, which included some sons of members of the Luchese crime family, prosecutors said. A lawyer for Mr. Petrucelli said the conviction would be appealed. Benjamin Weiser (NYT)